Carpet-sweeper



(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. M. R. BISSELL'.

I Carpet Sweeper. No. 241,472. Patented Mayl7,188l.'

N, PETERS. Pho|o-L3ihograpWen Washington, D. C.

(Model J 2 Sheets-Sheet 2-.

v M. R. BISSELL. Carpet Sweeper.

No. 241,472, Patented May 17,1881

N, ETERS, Phoio-Lilhographen Washingion, D. C

UN TED STATES MELVILLE It. BISSELL, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

CARPET-ASWEEPER.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 241,472, dated May 17,1881.

Application filed April 4, 1881. (Model.)

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, MELVILLE R. BISSELL,

acitizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, inthe county ofKent and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements inCarpet-Sweepers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the runners and devices for carrying thetraveling wheels which communicate motion to the brush of a rotary brushcarpet-sweeper. Its objects are to permit the brush to be brought closerto the floor when it is desired to increase its force of action withoutseparate adjustment of its bearings or manipulation of any of the partsof the sweeper.

It consists in the combination, with a carpetsweeper easing, of ayielding runner arranged under and secured to one end of said casin g,whereby, when downward pressure is exerted upon the casing, the bottomof the casing and the brush mounted in said casing are caused toapproach the floor, and the brush will sweep with increased force; andit also consists in a novel combination and arrangement of devices forsupporting the rotary brush and traveling wheels, whereby the brush isrendered readily removable and replaceable through the open bottom ofthe casin g, all as hereinafter particularly described with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of acarpet sweeper having a runner applied thereto according to myinvention, the sweepings-receptacles being shown lowered in dottedlines. Figure 2 is a bottom view of the same. Fig. 3 is an inside viewof the end wall of a sweepercasing to which the traveling wheels areconnected, showing my improved wheel and brushsupporting devices.- Fig.4 is a vertical sec-' tion on line a: a of Fig.3. Fig. 5 is aperspective view of the wheel-carryin g arms and their coupling. Figs. 6and 7 are end views of sweeper-casings, with modified forms of runners.

Referring to Fig.1, the letter A denotes the end wall of the casing, towhich the runner is attached, and B indicates the runner, which islocated under the end wall. An arm, 0, is secured at its lower end tothe runner and extends upward along the outer surfaee of the wall,passing through a guide, d, and having in its upper portion a verticalslot, 01, which embraces a pin, d also serving as a guide. Directly tothe under edge of the end Wall is firmly secured the middle of abow-spring, E, the ends of which curve downwardly against for the same.When the runner rests upon the floor, as in Fig. l, a downward. pressureof the handle F will cause the casing to flatten the spring andsinktoward the runner, carrying the brush closerto the floor, so that itsbristles will make longer and closer sweep thereupon, this being ofgreat advantage when there is found upon the floor any such material aslint, raw cotton, or other substance which has a tendency to adhere to acarpet or floor. In a sweeper provided with a runner, as abovedescribed, I prefer to attach the sweepings-receptacles G G to therunner at-one end and pivot the other end to the casing, so that thebottoms of these receptacles will be always at the same distance fromthe floor, whatever may be the position of the brush and the rest of thecasing. I

In Fig. 1 the letter It indicates apivot-pin, which projects from thebottom of the sweepin gs-receptacle G and extends into the hole in theside wall of the casing, the pin being the only means of directattachment of the receptacle to the casing.

From the runner B lugs I) project laterally, and are secured by screwsto the bottom or floor of the receptacle at the end opposite that whichis pivoted, so that the runner carries the end of the receptacle. taclesare mounted in the same manner.

When it is desired to empty these receptacles the slot of the arm (3 isslipped oif the pin 01 and the arm pushed downward in its lower guide,carrying the runner and the ends of the receptacles away from the endwall of the easing, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. l, the ends of thereceptacles being thus left open, so that their contents may bedischarged. The end wall of the casing forms, also, the end walls of thereceptacles in their closed position.

To the lower edge of the end wall of the easarranged, is secured adouble bracket, I, from the attaching-plate tot which two arms, is,project inwardly, and are provided with extenthe top of the runner andform an elastic seat Both sweepings-receping, opposite that under whichthe runner is.

sions k, projecting at right angles toward the side walls, respectively.To these extensions 70, respectively on their sides next the end wall,are pivoted the inner ends of arms L, which at their outer ends carrythe traveling wheels M M. The inner ends of these arms L are providedwith noses Z, which project under the arms is and serve as stops tolimitthe downward movement of the outer ends and wheels, thus preventing thewheels from falling out of the casing when the latter is raised. Thearms k are separated by an intervening space, and immediately above thema spring-plate, N, has its-lower end firmly secured to the end wall ofthe casing, its npperportion inclining inwardly. Near the top of thisspring-plate is formed a conicalindentation, a, which receives theconical tip of one of the journals 0 of the brushshaft, as shown in Fig.4. The other journal of said shaft may be mounted in any of the ordinary bearings attached to the opposite end wall of the casing.

When it is desired to remove the'brush from its bearingthe shaft ispressed downward and the plate N will yield, as shown in dotted lines,Fig. 4, to permit the journal 0 to escape from the indentation a, saidjournal being then free to pass outward between the arms k k. Inreplacing the brush the opposite journal is first inserted in itsbearing, the journal 0 passed upward between the arms 76 k and againstthe plate N, when sufficient pressure will cause said plate to yield andallow the journal to slip up and enter the indentation n, where it willbe sufficiently firmly held for its operative purpose by the elasticityof the plate. I have thus provided an exceedingly simple and efficientmeans for supporting the brush and permitting its ready removal andreplacement.

Heretofore the journal of the brush has been supported either by abearing which had to be taken out or detached from the casing or elsesuch a bearing that necessitated the lateral movement ofthe brush inremoving it, or a manipulation ofthe bearing to move it away from thejournal. I avoid all manipulation of the bearing and lateral movement ofthe brush, taking it out and replacing it in a straight line directlythrough the open bottom of the casin g.

In Fig. 6 the runner is simply a spring-strip, B, secured at its middleto the under edge of the end wall, and having its arms bowed downward,their ends being bent up along the walls of the casing and provided withslots through which pins project from the walls, said pins 1) serving asguides.

In Fig. 7 is shown a similar runner, between the bowed arms of which andthe edge of the end wall are arranged spiral springs s, to reenforce theelasticity of said arms.

What I claim is 1. The combination, with a carpet-sweeper casing, of ayielding runner arranged under and secured to one end of said casing,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the casing of a carpet-sweeper, of thesweeping-receptacles pivoted at one end and provided with means fordetachably securing the other ends in position, the runner to which theswinging ends of said receptacles are connected, and the springint'erposed between said runner and the casing, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination, with the casing, wheelcarrying arms, and brush, ofthe bracket having the separated arms 70, to which the wheelcarryingarms are connected, and the plate N, secured above said bracket andhaving theindentation a in line with the space between said arms,substantially as described, whereby the brush may be readily removed andreplaced, its journal passing between said arms.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

. MELVILLE R. BISSELL.

Witnesses H. J osLIN, J. A. RUTHERFORD.

